Double-Barreled Assault by Aldosterone and Salt on the Heart

摘要

Idosterone, a mineralocorticoid hormone secreted by A the adrenal zona glomerulosa, is generally regarded as the end product of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. Aldosterone is a major regulator of body fluid and electrolyte homeostasis by virtue of its classic actions at renal collecting duct principal cells, mediated by miner- alocorticoid receptors (MR), to induce sodium (Na*) and water reabsorption and potassium (K*) excretion. In ad- dition to these classic effects, aldosterone induces non- classical actions in both epithelial and nonepithelial tis- sues, including inflammation and fibrosis that lead to cardiac, vascular, and renal target organ damage. Indeed, a large body of evidence supports the concept that aldo- sterone induces deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system independently of both angiotensin II and blood pressure (1, 2).